Tag Archives: Kailash pilgrimage

Pilgrims journey at Kailash mountains

 

Manasrovar Lake Tibet

Lake Manasarovar

    A high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County. The Sutlej River, the Brahmaputra River (the Tsangpo), the Indus River, and the Karnali River all trace their sources to its nearby vicinity.

 

mantra stones Om Mani Mapdme Hum

Carved mantra stones — Om Mani Padme Hum

 

Himalayan Meditation

Soul On A String (Tibetan movie)

 

 

North face of Mount Kailash

North face of Mount Kailash

 

 

 Trekking around Mount Kailash

 

 

Mount Kailash circumambulation

 

As an ancient site of pilgrimage, Mt. Kailash is a great mass of snow capped black rock soaring to over 23,000 feet with a rounded peak. The holy mountain of Kailash has the unique distinction of being one of the world’s most venerated destinations while at the same time being the least visited. The supremely sacred site of four religions and billions of people, Mt. Kailash is the most revered of places for Buddhists from around the world. To Hindus, Kailash is the abode of Shiva and nearby Mansarowar Lake, is the soul of Brahma. Tibetans refer to Mt Kailash as Kang Rimpoche (meaning “Precious Mountain”) while the followers of Bon-Po, the ancient pre-Buddhist shamanistic religion of Tibet, worship Kailash as the soul of Tibet. Even Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs, is reputed to have visited this spot during his ‘Udasis’. The Jains worship it as Mt Ashtapada, the peak from which the religion’s founder, Rishabanatha, achieved spiritual liberation.

 

a group of pilgrims on the Kailash kora

Bibhuti Pradhan photo

 

 

Manasarovar lake on horizon

Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region

 

Two Tibetan Mastiffs at Yamdrok Lake

Two Tibetan Mastiffs at Yamdrok Lake

 

 

Yamdrok Lake, Tibet

 

 

Horse and Tibetan lady porter

Tibetan lady porter with horse for hire

 

 

Tibetan pilgrams on mouintain trail

Tibetan women on a Kailash yatra

Walking around the mountain (clockwise for the Buddhists, counter-clockwise for Bon adherents) is known as a Kora,Yatra or Parikrama, and normally takes three days. However, Tibetans often complete this in a day taking around 14 hours.   This 52.3 mile journey is easier for Tibetans due to their instrinsic acclimatation to high altitudes. The ambience is so charged in these locations that you can tap into extra reserves of energy.  At the Drolma La Pass you will climb up to a heady 5,653 meters.

 

 

Auburn dog at Lamdrok Lake

Auburn dog at Lamdrok Lake

 

 

Yak at Yamdrok Lake

Yak at the emerald Yamdrok Lake, Tibet

 

 

Balancing rock stupa

 

 

Zutul Puk monastry---distrunner

Zutul Puk monastery

Photo by distrunner

 

 

Lake Manasarovar with Mount Kailash in the distance

 

The four most sacred rivers of the Indian sub-continent begin from here – Sutlej (major tributary of the Indus River), Karnili (a major tributary of the Ganges), Brahmaputra and the Indus. The ancients regarded this holy region as the navel (center) of the universe,

 

Kailash Yatra Tibetan pilgrims

Kailash Yatra pilgrims

 

 

majestic Mount Kailash

The majestic Mt. Kailash from the Southside – 21,778 ft

Photo by Jia Zhou

 

Descending into the Drolma Pass at Munt Kailash

Descending into the Drolma Pass

 

 

Above Gaurikund lake on the-Drolma La pass

The jade green Gaurikund lake on the Drolma La Pass

 

 

Mount Kailash Kora circuit entrance

Kailash Kora circuit entrance

 

 

Kailash namaskar, the first point on the Kora where the sacred peak becomes visible, hence the prayer flags

 

Holy-Mount-Kailash in tibet

Kneeling veneration before the sacred Kailash

 

 

prayer stones carved with sacred symbols

Carved prayer stones – Justin C

 

 

Kailash in the summer- Dirapuk Gompa

 

 

Kailasha darshan, continual prostrations around the mountain takes about a month.

 

 

Tibetan-Buddhist-Pilgrim-Mother-and-Babe-Completing-a-Kora-Tirthapuri-Tibet-China--

Tibetan pilgrim mother and child

 

 

Tibetan-Yak-Teamster-Sacred-Mount-Kailash-Far-Western-Tibet-China

Tibetan Yak Teamster

Flickr

 

 

nephrite jade Milarepa carving

Tibetan poet Saint Milarepa at Mount Kailash — carved nephrite jade

 

 

52 mile Kailash yatra

52.3 mile Kailash yatra

 

 

mural of Milarupa

Rock face mural of Milarupa at Yolmo

Takphuk Senge Dzong, Helambu

 In Tibetan lore, a monk named Milarepa once ventured far enough to reach the top of Mount Meru(Kailash) in the 11th century. When he returned, he forewarned everyone to avoid disturbing the God resting high up in the peak.

 

Kailash pilgrimage prostrations

Kailash trail pilgrimage prostrations

 

 

Taversing the sweeping valleys at Kailash

Traversing the sweeping valleys

 

 

Beginning the parikrama of Mount Kailash

 

 

girl at Mount Kailash

The Yatra of Mount Kailash can be done in one day, if young and fit

 

 

Pack Yaks on the path to Kailash

Pack Yaks on the path

 

Solo pilgrim nearing Mount Kailash

 

 

Mount Kailash panorama

Imposing North face of Mount Kailash

Due to its religious significance, Kailash remains an unclimbed mountain. In 1926, Hugh Ruttledge studied the north face, which he estimated was 7300 feet high and “utterly unclimbable”

 

 

Statue of Shiva at Mount Kailash

 

 

Steady Yaks on the Kailash route

 

 

descending group of pilgrims

Descending group of pilgrims on a rocky path

 

 

eastern perspective of Mount Kailash

Eastern perspective of Mount Kailash

 

 

Marco Butturini photo

Photo Marco Butturini

 

 

 

Kailash jubilation

 

kailash pilgrims

Tibetan family trekking the circuit

 

 

Mount Kailash is also known in Tibetan as Gang Rinpoche

 

 

The south side of Kailash with the spine up middle

The Southern side of Kailash with the spine up the middle

 

Ancient stupa

An ancient rock stupa

 

 

Pooranmashi or full moon night at Mt Kailash has deep significance during “Shiv Bhoomi”

 

 

Kailash north face

Kailash stupas

 

 

 

Mount Kailash western face

Mount Kailash western face

 

 

Saptarishi-Cave inner Kailash circuit

Saptarishi Cave inner Kailash circuit

 

 

Tibetan female guide with horse

 

 

 

Mount Kailash Sphinx appearance

The Sphinx like Mt. Kailash

 

 

 

Triumphant completion of yatra

 

 

antique-very-old Avalokiteshvara rupa-altar.-the-Avalokiteshvara-rupa-is-hand-carved-on-wood-and-altar-is-of-copper-8-inch.

Old Avalokiteshvara hand carved rupa altar

 

 

Nicols-Roerich--krishna-spring-in-kulu-1930

Nicholas Roerich — ‘Krishna Spring in Kulu’ – 1930

I first saw the spectacular scale and splendour of the Himalayas at Manali in the Kulu Valley in the mid-seventies on my way to the Rhotang Pass.

 

 

Himalayan vista

 

 

Buddha's-shoes

Buddha’s shoes

 

Sèvres Art Déco vase with mountain explorer

Sèvres Art Déco vase with mountain traveller

 

 

Floating Dakini art by Eva Schicker

Floating Dakini art by Eva Schicker

 

 

 

 Monastery at Lho on the Manaslu Circuit Trekking route

 

 

Luminokaya Buddha art

Luminokaya Buddha art

 

 

Venerable Milarepa

Venerable Milarepa

 

 

Ceiling of ‘Cave of Self arisen Sun and Moon’ A natural formation at the Nyida Rangjung meditation cave of Padmasambhava

Above village of Milamkhyim in Yolmo

 

 

 

The Nebra Sky Disk is the earliest known guide to the heavens yet discovered1800-BC

The Nebra Sky Disk is the earliest known guide to the heavens yet discovered

1800 BC

 

 

Omnipresent Buddha at Espaco Restaurant, Brazil

 

A few miles to Lapchi - trekking

A few miles to Lapchi

 

 

Tiger Cave Lion Fortress where Marpa instructed Milarepa to go and meditate

Helambu (Yolmo)

 

Vintage photo of Indian girl in Sari

 

Tibet Road in the Himalayas, photographed in 1867 by Samuel Bourne.

 

 

Ama Dablam mountain (the main peak – 6814m) – Tanya Sharapova

Sagarmatha national park, Nepal.

 

Sunset_view_from_Helambu

Sunset view from Helambu